A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War
by Harry Ridgeway
|
Ridgeway Civil War Research Center A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War |
| Civil War Plates and Buckles | |
by Harry Ridgeway |
| Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION Confederate, two part plate, FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION Confederate waist belt plate, two part, CS, style with plain serifs, Mullinax illustrations 001, 003, 004, and 005. Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION .      Details click: http://relicman.com/plates/Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION.html |
| P3341 ### F1341 CS RichmondTongue keeper 46.3mm Wreath keeper 46.3mmWreath height 48.5mmThe owner of this buckle died, the estate executor submitted this for evaluation. It was a small collection, most of the expensive buckles were fakes, most of the cheap ones (US buckles and breast plates) were real. I am certain this collector thought they were all real. Unfortunately he has taken information as to the sourcing to his grave. Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3341 F1341 Picture only submitted. |
| P0855 ### FP0855 CS tongue & wreath repaired buckleThis buckle was originally purchased in 2002, and sold by me, then returned in 2004 with the discovery that the keeper to the wreath has been repaired. It is indeed the same buckle originally sold and there is no doubt that that the piece was repaired. It is now evident that the entire buckle has been coated to obscure this flaw. Indeed some of the coating has started to flake off, I see several spots of flaking. This is typical of coatings, versus oxides, coatings eventually dry out and flake off, whether on a buckle or wood siding on a house. Where it covered the epoxy the flaking is most severe, causing exposure of the now obvious repair. Also of concern, the flaking has exposed yellow metal in several places, most notably the edges around the tongue. It is not clear why the metal underneath of the coating is yellow, original dug patina would not be yellow. This raises the possibility that the tongue, which does not appear to be repaired, may or may not be original. It is impossible to determine the authenticity of this plate with this coating in place.Here are pictures originally emailed to me when this plate was sold :Here are pictures of the plate when originally presented on my website to be sold:And here is the plate when it was returned, I accepted return of this plate, clearly showing a repair to the keeper of the wreath:The plate was passed back to the gentlemen I purchased it from, and he passed it back to the dealer who originally sold it to him, so everybody was honorable in this transaction. I doubt that the first dealer was able to return it to anybody. The repaired wreath was eventually sold to a third party as a repaired wreath, I do not know the whereabouts of the tongue, except to say it is no longer traveling with this wreath. Anybody can make a mistake in this business, I was fooled by this one along with another dealer who I respect. The difference is that the honorable collectors and dealers with reputations, make good on their mistakes, the fakers do not. Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P0855 FP0855        |
| P1486 ### FP1486 CS two part buckle, Richmond styleMeasurements: keepers 47mm, wreath height 48mm.Editor note: This plate was submitted for evaluation, it was rejected and returned to the owner. Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P1486 FP1486 Gibson John    |
| P1641 ### FP1641 CS two part buckle, Richmond style style Two part Virginia style is noted for the step up back and straight serif, hanger loop was found with it. Consistent but light patina, buckle shows evidence of being hammered. Recovered: not known Tongue keeper 46.6mm, wreath keeper 47.1mm, wreath height 48.1mm Ref: Mullinax (Expanded Edition) Plate 003 or 004. I believe that this buckle is a fake, it shares many characteristics of a known pattern from Hanover Brass, CS2P2. It appears to have been hammered and machined to alter the flaws but is exactly the same size as the HB example I carry in my fakes box and is too similar in appearance. Editor note: This buckle was submitted for evaluation and rejected. So is this fake or real, comments and opinions solicited. Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P1641 FP1641 Rigney Mark      |
| P2196 ### P2196 ### P2196.CS two-part Cote Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . Cote Daniel    |
| P2637 ### Hanover Brass repro: CS two part, Richmond Arsenal. This is an example of Hanover Brass commercial grade reproduction, the plate has been produced in quantity, sold to the living history market, and is generally readily available. The product has also been used as feedstock for fakes, with chemical aging and other alterations. Gary Williams has provided the following pictures and explanation: Photo # CS2P1 Plate 001 Richmond Arsenal CS Two Piece 1861-1865 47 x 82mm/wreath height 48mm. Known as the (spoon type) this is the most attractive of the CS two piece belt plates. They were sand cast in Richmond, Virginia throughout the war. The belt plate was a red color because of the high copper content in the metal. Confederate factories did not have the zinc, which was used to turn the copper yellow. I dug the original that I use for my master pattern in Petersburg, Va. You need to study this belt plate because I see it faked often. One thing to look for is on the wreath belt loop, top front bar. When finished it was filed a little to much cutting into the bar. I have cast thousands of this plate and all look the same. You need to find a flaw in my repro and use this for your reference. Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . Photo # CS2P1 civilwarfakes com    |
| P2638 ### Hanover Brass repro: CS two part, Richmond CS This is an example of Hanover Brass commercial grade reproduction, the plate has been produced in quantity, sold to the living history market, and is generally readily available. The product has also been used as feedstock for fakes, with chemical aging and other alterations. Gary Williams has provided the following pictures and explanation: Photo # CS2P2 Plate 004 Richmond CS Two Piece Belt Plate 46 x 81/wreath height 48mm. The original of this plate was dug by Howard Crouch in Northern Virginia. He still has the original. You need to find a flaw to use because it will always be there and if removed it will show. GW stamped in back of tongue. Everything applies to this belt plate that applied to Plate 001. Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . Photo # CS2P2 civilwarfakes com    |
| P2639 ### Hanover Brass repro: CS two part, Richmond CS This is an example of Hanover Brass commercial grade reproduction, the plate has been produced in quantity, sold to the living history market, and is generally readily available. The product has also been used as feedstock for fakes, with chemical aging and other alterations. Gary Williams has provided the following pictures and explanation: Photo # CS2P3 Plate 003 Richmond CS Two Piece Belt Plate 46 x 78mm/48 wreath ht. The original of this plate was dug by Charles Burnette at Malvern Hill, Va. and still is in his collection. This is a good example of how the foundries made master patterns off their original pattern to be used to cast buckles. If you measure the same type belt plates you come up with different measurements. They had orders for so many of these plates that they sent out work to other Foundries. This will cause the plate to have a little different look and also be sized different. These plates were hand finished. Each person finishing a buckle will not take the same mm's as the guy next to him. This is why some plates are larger than others. GW is stamped in the back of the tongue. Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . Photo # CS2P3 civilwarfakes com    |
| P2687 ### Hanover Brass repro: CS two part, Richmond CS. This is an example of Hanover Brass commercial grade reproduction, the plate has been produced in quantity, sold to the living history market, and is generally readily available. The product has also been used as feedstock for fakes, with chemical aging and other alterations. Gary Williams has provided the following pictures and explanation: Photo # CS2P51 Plate 004 (variant) Richmond CS Two Piece Belt Plate 48 x 80/wreath ht.48mm. GW stamped in the back of the tongue. Original dug by Ronnie Mantlo on the White Oak Swamp battlefield. This buckle has the same history as Plate 001 except it is a crude casting compared to the first CS. Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . Photo # CS2P51 civilwarfakes com    |
| P2692 ### Hanover Brass repro: CS two part. This is an example of Hanover Brass commercial grade reproduction, the plate has been produced in quantity, sold to the living history market, and is generally readily available. The product has also been used as feedstock for fakes, with chemical aging and other alterations. Gary Williams has provided the following pictures and explanation: Photo # CS2P56 Plate 001 & 002 ( CS Two Piece Belt Plate.) 48 x 85/wreath ht. 50mm. Marked GW inside the disc. From the collection of Charles Burnette. I see this two piece faked often. I have seen it on belts and not on belts. Red brass and yellow brass. What they do to make it look different is to take the CS2P1 tongue and the CS2P14 wreath and put the two together to make the belt plate look like a different style. Also other people who cast buckles use this style and not the matched set. I dug the original and know what wreath goes to the set. You need to find a casting flaw that you can use as your reference. They use this Script CS wreath because the detail is sharp. A better looking wreath than the original wreath that was dug with the tongue. Study these photos. Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . Photo # CS2P56 civilwarfakes com    |
| P3009 ### F1009 CS 2-Piece Richmond Arsenal Style Belt Buckle, manufactured by Hanover Brass This reproduction CS Richmond style Two Piece is a MUST for anyone who enjoys civil war belt buckles. It is cast from red brass, typical of the Richmond, Va. arsenal CS. The Confederate foundries lacked the zinc that was used to turn the copper yellow. Has original look. The original was dug from private land by Gary Williams, veteran relic hunter! Source: ebay auction by jaglady00 3/27/06 CS 2-Piece Richmond Arsenal Style Belt Buckle Plate Item number: 6616033610 Editor note: jaglady00 is Hanover Brass, items sold as reproductions. The following is Gary Williams explanation of his production, (civilwarfakes.com, Photo # CS2P1) Plate 001 Richmond Arsenal CS Two Piece 1861-1865 47 x 82mm/wreath height 48mm. Known as the (spoon type) this is the most attractive of the CS two piece belt plates. They were sand cast in Richmond, Virginia throughout the war. The belt plate was a red color because of the high copper content in the metal. Confederate factories did not have the zinc, which was used to turn the copper yellow. I dug the original that I use for my master pattern in Petersburg, Va. You need to study this belt plate because I see it faked often. One thing to look for is on the wreath belt loop, top front bar. When finished it was filed a little to much cutting into the bar. I have cast thousands of this plate and all look the same. You need to find a flaw in my repro and use this for your reference.The following is Gary Williams explanation of his production, (civilwarfakes.com, Photo # CS2P56) Plate 001 & 002 ( CS Two Piece Belt Plate.) 48 x 85/wreath ht. 50mm. Marked GW inside the disc. From the collection of Charles Burnette. I see this two piece faked often. I have seen it on belts and not on belts. Red brass and yellow brass. What they do to make it look different is to take the CS2P1 tongue and the CS2P14 wreath and put the two together to make the belt plate look like a different style. Also other people who cast buckles use this style and not the matched set. I dug the original and know what wreath goes to the set. You need to find a casting flaw that you can use as your reference. They use this Script CS wreath because the detail is sharp. A better looking wreath than the original wreath that was dug with the tongue. Study these photos. Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3009 F1009 Picture only submitted.   |
| P3035 ### F1035 CS 2-Piece Richmond Arsenal Style Belt Buckle Plate variant, manufactured by Hanover Brass This reproduction CS Richmond style Two Piece is a MUST for anyone who enjoys civil war belt buckles. It is cast from red brass, typical of the Richmond, Va. arsenal CS. The Confederate foundries lacked the zinc that was used to turn the copper yellow. Has original look. The original was dug from private land by Gary Williams, veteran relic hunter! Source: ebay auction by jaglady00 3/31/06 CS 2-Piece Richmond Arsenal Style Belt Buckle Plate variant Item number: 6617206046 Editor note: jaglady00 is Hanover Brass, items sold as reproductionsThe following is Gary Williams explanation of his production, (civilwarfakes.com, Photo # CS2P3) Plate 003 Richmond CS Two Piece Belt Plate 46 x 78mm/48 wreath ht. The original of this plate was dug by Charles Burnette at Malvern Hill, Va. and still is in his collection. This is a good example of how the foundries made master patterns off their original pattern to be used to cast buckles. If you measure the same type belt plates you come up with different measurements. They had orders for so many of these plates that they sent out work to other Foundries. This will cause the plate to have a little different look and also be sized different. These plates were hand finished. Each person finishing a buckle will not take the same mm's as the guy next to him. This is why some plates are larger than others. GW is stamped in the back of the tongue.The following is Gary Williams explanation of his production, (civilwarfakes.com, Photo # CS2P2) Plate 004 Richmond CS Two Piece Belt Plate 46 x 81/wreath height 48mm. The original of this plate was dug by Howard Crouch in Northern Virginia. He still has the original. You need to find a flaw to use because it will always be there and if removed it will show. GW stamped in back of tongue. Everything applies to this belt plate that applied to Plate 001.The following is Gary Williams explanation of his production, (civilwarfakes.com, Photo # CS2P51) Plate 004 (variant) Richmond CS Two Piece Belt Plate 48 x 80/wreath ht.48mm. GW stamped in the back of the tongue. Original dug by Ronnie Mantlo on the White Oak Swamp battlefield. This buckle has the same history as Plate 001 except it is a crude casting compared to the first CS. Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3035 F1035 Picture only submitted.   |
| P3157 ### F1157 CS 2-Piece Richmond Arsenal Style Belt Buckle AUCTION IS FOR A 100% GUARANTEED GENUINE CIVIL WAR RICHMOND ARSENAL CS TONGUE & WREATH BUCKLE ON ORIGINAL LEATHER BELT. THIS PIECE IS THE LAST OF 3 PCS OF A GROUPING ID'D TO A H.H. HAYES OF THE 26TH NORTH CAROLINA INFANTRY. EVERYTHING IS CORRECT ABOUT THIS BUCKLE, LEATHER IS CORRECT, PERIOD SEWN ON, BEAUTIFUL CHOCOLATE NON-DUG PATINA ON THE BUCKLE. BUCKLE IS SIMLAR TO PLATE 001 PAGE 10 OF THE MULINAX PLATE BOOK. PLATE MEASURES @ 51MM X 84MM IN SIZE. PLATE HAS BEEN WELL STORED AWAY ALONG WITH THE OTHER PIECES OF THIS GROUPING. PLEASE EMAIL WITHANY AND ALL QUESTIONS, 100% GUARANTEED GENUINE FOR LIFE W/ A 7 DAY UNCONDITIONAL MONEY BACK GUARANTEE INSPECTION PERIOD. US SHIPPING WILL BE $10.00...........................The 26th Infantry Regiment was organized in August, 1861, at Crab Tree, a plantation three miles from Raleigh, North Carolina. Its members were recruited in the counties of Ashe, Union, Wilkes, Chatham, Wake, Caldwell, Moore, Alamance, Randolph, and Anson. The regiment served at Fort Macon, on Bogue Island, North Carolina, then fought at New Bern. During the war it was assigned to General R. Ransom's, Pettigrew's, Kirkland's, and MacRae's Brigade. It saw action in the Seven Days' Battles and later the conflicts at Rawls' Mills and Goldsboro. The 26th went on to fight with the Army of Northern Virginia from Gettysburg to Cold Harbor , took its place in the entrenchments south of the James River, and was involved in the final campaign at Appomattox . It lost 87 killed or wounded at New Bern , had 6 killed and 40 wounded during the Seven Days' Battles, and of the 843 engaged at Gettysburg , more than eighty percent wer disabled. The unit reported 16 killed and 83 wounded at Bristoe and on April 9, 1865, surrendered 10 officers and 120 men. Source: ebay auction by vintage_comics_and_collectibles 7/30/06 CIVIL WAR RICHMOND CS TONGUE & WREATH BUCKLE ON BELT 100% GUARANTEED GENUINE ID'D TO H.H. HAYES 26TH NC INF Item number: 250011511375 Editor note: This seller sells on ebay auction under Private Auction . It is highly doubtful this piece can be shown to be authentic.Additional information, I now have examined this buckle, actual pictures of it below:Tongue keeper 47.0mmWreath keeper 48.8mmWreath height 49.1mmThe seller name registered on ebay is:Larry D Wisdom Mr Wisdom's address is not disclosed on ebay but we have been able to fill in the following additional details:Larry D Wisdom 1017 Kentucky Ave.Bristol, TN. 37620 His business address is; 2671 Lee Hwy Bristol, Va. 24202 He apparently has a store at this address Phone # 276-591-1996Payment was demanded and paid to the following:Ben and Judy Honaker 408 madison st. Bristol, VA. 24021Editor note: In my opinion this buckle examined matches the Hanover Brass repro above in all material respects. Further the belt appears to be a recycled Federal belt with the end removed. The belt and the buckle have nice patina, but the two pieces do not share any patina, it is doubtful these two pieces traveled together for very long, particularly since the buckle was likely manufactured recently. No doubt Hanover Brass will contend that this was made as a repro , but I do not find any maker or other marks to distinguish it as a repro or evidence that marks were removed. Was this manufactured as a repro or was it intended to be a fake from the beginning? Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3157 F1157 Picture only submitted.               |
| P3265 ### P3265 ### (F1265) ### CS two-part buckle Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3265 F1265 Picture only submitted.    |
| P3298 ### P3298 ### (F1298).CS two-part Richmond style. Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3298 F1298 Picture only submitted.    |
| P3320 ### P3320 ### (F1320) ### CS two-part Richmond style .Hanover Brass Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3320 F1320 Picture only submitted.    |
| P3362 ### P3362 ### (F1362) ### CS two-part Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3362 F1362 Picture only submitted.    |
| P3418 ### F1418 CS two piece This plate was brought for evaluation. The buyer got a great deal off ebay but didn't retain a record of his purchase. It is well aged, but measured small. I rejected it but told him to get other opinions. So is it real or fake? Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3418 F1418 Picture only submitted.      |
| P3442 ### F1442 A to E CS 2-Piece Richmond Arsenal Style Belt Buckle, manufactured by Hanover BrassTongue keeper 46.5mmWreath keeper 46.9mmWreath height 48.2mmEditor note: Plate was obtained directly from Hanover Brass as a sample of his production. Note that any maker marks on this buckle are weak, apparently so that they can be easily removed or obscured. Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3442 F1442 Picture only submitted.    |
| P3496 ### F1496 CS two part buckle, Richmond style, manufactured by Joe Liesch Casting is crude. This manufacturer supplies a lot of buckles to re-enactors, most including this one are distinctly different from the originals and were not meant to fool collectors. Tongue keeper: 47.3mmWreath keeper: 47.7mmWreath height: 49mmEditor note: Plate was obtained directly from Joe Liesch as a sample of his production to be used in this presentation. These are sold extensively to re-enactors. This is not marked either, but I doubt many collectors will be fooled by this. Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3496 F1496 Picture only submitted.      |
| P3519 ### P3519 ### (F1519) ### Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3519 F1519 Picture only submitted.    |
| P3522 ### P3522 ### (F1522) ### Research Center: Plate7199-Confederate-TwoPart-001-FAKE-FANTASY-REPRODUCTION . P3522 F1522 Picture only submitted.    |
| Ridgeway Civil War Research Center, A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War Plates and buckles Research center, plates, click: http://relicman.com/plates/Plate0000-Index.html.    Research center, plates and buckles, click: http://relicman.com/plates/Plate0000-Index.html. |
| Civil War Relicman,
Harry Ridgeway, Civil War plates and buckles, Relicman sales catalog. Sale listings click: http://relicman.com/plates/Relicman-Sales-Plate0000.html.    Sale listings click: http://relicman.com/plates/Relicman-Sales-Plate0000.html. |